Things I learned today

[Doggggboy]

Found out today that you can download a step file of nearly any part from McMaster Carr, run it through your preferred 3D slicer, and print it.
Given the vast array of things they sell, this will be a game changer for me.
I will no longer have to reinvent the wheel every time I try to print a useful part.

 

[DavidR8]

Never thought of printing them!
Awesome idea

 

[whydontu]

I’ve been downloading MCC drawings for years as pdfs, never even dawned on me to get STP files. Doh.

 

[Tecnico]

Not only STEP files, they offer native 3D files for a number of CAD systems. That said they’re “dumb” files without editable feature trees so not much more useful than STEP or IGES files.

D

 

[PeterT]

The Solidworks format parts I download from MCM are fully editable. I routinely suppress the threads if not required & build a design table to yield common shank lengths.

 

[Susquatch]

The Solidworks format parts I download from MCM are fully editable.

OMG Peter. Where do you find the time to do that?

But I love the idea! I'm gunna find a few MC parts to download and evaluate.

 

[PeterT]

MCM did all the hard work with the head, hex key, shank, thread dimensions etc. Just download single fastener like this M4 cap screw. Say its 25mm length. Then you invoke what's called a design table wizard. Select the dimension name you want to vary (length but in reality it could be any dimension used). Then it builds a mini Excel template. Then just populate the row cells to whatever lengths of interest. That becomes a configuration of that part. So when I drag this M4 fastener into an assembly I just tell it which length. Very handy. In the more advanced versions of SW $$$ you get the complete library. So I've slowly built up my own library, primarily from MCM.

 

[Bandit]

I think I have learneded, I am even farther behind then yesterday about computer stuff. Step files, dumb files, I will just keep using the flat bastard, the saw file, a few fine files, not even a battery pack on them.

 

[Dan Dubeau]

My old copy of Mechanical Desktop has a great fastener library. I don't use it often, but it's handy when it's needed. Printing stuff off mcmaster doesn't always work as intended. I downloaded some stepfiles of big copper bars, but no matter what I do they come out as PLA. Linear rails aren't as smooth running either.

.

 

[Tecnico]

The Solidworks format parts I download from MCM are fully editable. I routinely suppress the threads if not required & build a design table to yield common shank lengths.

Interesting, very interesting. I was saddled with PROE/Creo and the supposedly native files were just dumb models. I had an idea that the models were created in Solidworks though so that would explain that.

Nice that you could build a tabled library!

My old copy of Mechanical Desktop has a great fastener library

That's old and dusty. I remember using MDT 4 before they pushed everyone over to Inventor. Still, if it works for you then it's worth hanging onto! Any 3D modeler is a great tool.

D